Enhancing Transition Services: One District s Story. Erica Ekstrom Valley View School District 365U [email protected]

Transcription

1 Enhancing Transition Services: One District s Story Erica Ekstrom Valley View School District 365U [email protected]

2 Background Information Serve the Bolingbrook and Romeoville communities Service more than 18,000 students Unit School District (K-12) 21 educational facilities with over 200 staff members

3 Background Information 2 High Schools and 5 Middle Schools More than 1,100 students with disabilities that are 14 years of age or older

4 Presentation Overview Review the steps and strategies implemented by our school district in order to increase best practice programming in secondary transition planning

5 District Goals for the School Year Goal One: Develop a committee and an action plan to identify and address transition planning needs within our school district Goal Two: Implement professional development opportunities, transition resources, and program procedures to comply with transition laws and Indicator 13

6 Staff Allocations School Year 2 Part-time Vocational Teachers 2 Job Coaches School Year 3.5 Full-time Vocational Teachers 5 Job Coaches District Special Education Coordinator School Year 2 Full-time Vocational Teachers 5 Job Coaches District Special Education Coordinator School Year 4 Full-time Vocational Teachers 5 Job Coaches Teachers District Special Education Coordinator

7 Staff Roles and Responsibilities Special Education Coordinator Provide technical assistance regarding transition programming and initiatives Coordinate district transition professional development needs and trainings Facilitate committee meetings and community partnerships Gather current and up-to-date information regarding best practices in secondary transition programming

8 Staff Roles and Responsibilities Vocational Teachers Assist case managers/iep teams with individual student transition plans Implement and oversee program initiatives for: Community and School-Based Job Training Sites Local Community College & Trade School Training Programs DHS/ORS Step Grant Course Work Paid Employment Coordinate transition assessments Assist with building professional development Assist with community and family outreach activities One Vocational Teacher solely assists program

9 Staff Roles and Responsibilities Teachers Certified Special Education Teachers who provide vocational training, independent living instruction, and community-based instruction to students who are 18 years of age an older who have intense employment and independent living skills needs

10 Staff Roles and Responsibilities Job Coach Assist with vocational training Assist with obtaining paid employment for students Assist with data collection Transition Annual Review Goals DHS/ORS Vocational Goals

11 Purpose: Transition Committee To identify district transition programming needs Develop programs, procedures and training modules to address these needs Members: Administrators Special Education Coordinators Department Chairs Vocational Teachers Guidance Counselors Consultants/Community Agencies

12 VVSD Transition Committee 15 Members Met Monthly Each meeting lasted about 2-3 hours The path to greatness is along with others. Baltasar Gracion, Spanish Priest

13 Identifying District Needs Conducted a district-wide assessment of transition needs Administrators Middle School and High School Special Education Staff Parents Related Service Personnel hp?pageid=74 Identifies important transition activities and philosophies Identifies the extent to which your district is implementing those transition activities and philosophies

14 Identifying District Needs Used this data to create a multi-year action plan for addressing our district s needs VVSD Needs Training on writing effective transition plans Providing IEP teams with information and resources to assist with transition planning Conducting transition assessments

15 Transition Manual Created a comprehensive Transition Manual Topics included: Training Power Points Assessment Resources Post-Secondary Outcome and Goal Resources Course of Study Information Transition Services Information Home-Based Support Guidelines Summary of Performance Information Staff Resource Section

16 Transition Manual See provided copy of Transition Manual Outline 2-4 hard copies of manual were provided to each middle school and high school All middle school and high school special education staff members were provided with an electronic copy of the manual

17 Transition Manual (Out of District) A similar transition manual was created in collaboration with surrounding school districts for distribution to our out-ofdistrict placements. A training was also made available to outof-district placements based upon this manual.

18 Transition Resource Guide (Students and Families) Brief resource guide for students and families Overview of transition planning FAQ Transition Activities Timeline Community Resource MAPs Definitions Questions to ask Contact information Transition Links Distribution Paper copies were available in our resource center and at annual review meetings

19 District Training- Staff Began by conducting large group trainings on writing effective transition plans Follow-up trainings were done in small groups (10-15 individuals) regarding state transition paperwork and transition requirements Staff also had the option to sign-up for individual assistance with writing transition plans for individual students

20 District Training- Students/Families Quarterly informational nights were made available to students and families Topics included: Overview of transition planning Student-centered planning and mapping Overview of employment resources in the community Overview of post-secondary information and resources

21 Assessment Beneficial Resources Conducted an inventory of all available assessments within our district Created a spreadsheet that identified available assessments within our district and what skills are assessed Provided electronic copies and hard copies of commonly used transition assessments as a quick reference

22 Beneficial Resources Community Resources/MAPs Created a directory of community agencies and resources Reference Included Definitions Questions to ask Contact information Sample Information SSI Individual Service Coordination Agency Local Transition Planning Committee DHS, ORS Community Colleges Transportation Parks & Recreation Local Housing Authority

23 Beneficial Resources Transition Activities Transition Activities Outline Outline of various transition activities that occur each school year Transition Activities Checklist Checklist for staff members to record the date of completion of various transition activities for each student on their caseload

24 Beneficial Resources Transition Links and Resources Provided in shared network drive Staff members would open this drive to locate various resources regarding employment, independent living skills, assessment, age of majority, etc

25 Program Procedures Referral Procedure Created a document that would allow case managers to notify the vocational teachers at their building regarding students who would need further transition planning assistance The vocational teachers would then review the student s file and data. They would then meet with the student or the IEP team to assist with further transition planning and the student s needs. Securing paid employment Securing SSI

26 Program Procedures 5 th Year Seniors IEP Teams met to review and answer the 5 th year guiding questions IEP teams then created an action plan as to how to specifically address the student s ongoing transition needs See provided copy

27 Program Procedures Assessment Transition assessment based upon a student s individual needs was conducted by the case manager (unless a referral/domain is requested) Transition Assessment Planning Form Student Questionnaire Study skills assessments Specific vocational assessments Large group transition assessments were conducted by the transition teachers or guidance Career Cruising Interest Inventory Casey Life Skills Assessment

28 Program Procedures Transition Folders Each student has their own transition folder. Contents of the folder include: Transition Activities Checklist Copies of transition assessment results Documentation of completed transition activities Progress monitoring related to transition annual review goals

29 District Goals for School Year Increase paid employment and community vocational training Improve community linkages through education of staff, students, and families Assist teams with creating comprehensive transition plans Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement. -Brian Tracy, Eat that Frog

30 Increasing Paid Employment and Vocational Training Working with local community colleges and trade/technical schools to allow students to attend training programs and courses Supporting students with differentiated instruction and increasing job coaching support Piloting customized employment Attending local Board of Commerce meetings and increasing partnerships with community businesses Specific job descriptions for each job training site (building and community-based)

31 Improve Community Linkages Host various information nights that showcase supports provided by local service agencies Provide staff training on services provided by community agencies Teacher Institutes Department Meetings Professional Development Opportunities

32 Creating Comprehensive Transition Plans Each vocational teacher will assist a specific program Attend annual reviews for sophomore and seniors Host informational nights Review and assist with transition plans Host further trainings: Transition Assessments Transition services and community linkages

33 District Goals for School Year Reviewed data regarding 5 th year seniors Visited other school districts to see how they are supporting 5 th year seniors Created a comprehensive team to research and develop an program, which has been implemented this school year Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement. -Brian Tracy, Eat that Frog

34 STEP (18-22) Program Any student who is: 18 and older Intense Employment and/or Independent Living Needs (5 th year guiding questions) Completed graduation requirements Supports Vocational & Post-Secondary Courses at local career center and junior colleges Community-based instruction Independent Living Skills Curriculum

35 Copies of Materials Send the following to Erica Ekstrom (see business card) Flash drive Information on what materials you would like Self-addressed stamped envelope (should be a padded envelope so flash drive is not removed) Please note that flash drive should be mailed in padded envelopes.

36 Questions

37 Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined - Henry David Thoreau